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MARIE-CATHERINE GIROD
French pianist (b 1949)



My discovery of Marie-Catherine Girod brings me no end of joy.  She is a superb pianist who is devoted to playing the music of many 20th century composers with which I am entirely unfamiliar.

The sonata by Pierre de Bréville is particular delight.  I was also very excited about encountering the piano music of Arthur Lourié and Pierre-Octave Ferroud for the first time, and so splendidly played.  Unfortunately the copyright police has forced the removal from YouTube of her recordings of these wonderful composers who are virtually unknown in most of the world. How this helps the composers or those who release recordings of their music is beyond me. But if any of you have ever wondered what was going on in French music while Debussy, Ravel, Satie and Poulenc were turning the world on its ear, her performances of the music of these little known French composers is a must.

Marie-Catherine Girod has recorded what appears to be the complete works for piano of Mendelssohn and much, if not all, of Chopin. Her Mendelssohn is superb and a number of these recordings are offered below.  Her Chopin is also very fine, but the available recordings have only been on YouTube for several months and I fear their eventual removal as well. I include several impromptus, beautifully played.



Mendelssohn  7 Charakterstücke, Op 7

1 Sanft und mit Empfindung (Andante)
02:382 Mit heftiger Bewegung (Allegro vivace)
04:263 Kräftig und feurig (Allegro vivace)
07:354 Schnell und beweglich (Con moto)
10:385 Ernst und mit steigender Lebhaftigkeit (Fuga)
17:116 Sehnsüchtig (Andante)
20:067 Leicht und luftig (Presto)




Mendelssohn  Rondo Capriccioso, Op 14




Mendelssohn  Three Caprices, Op 33

1 Adagio quasi fantasia. Presto agitato
07:46  2 Allegro grazioso
14:59  3 Adagio. Presto con fuoco




Mendelssohn  Six Preludes and Fugues, Op 35

1 Prelude And Fugue In E Minor - Prelude: Allegro
02:21  Fugue: Andante espressivo

08:41  2 Prelude And Fugue In D Major - Prelude: Andante quasi allegretto
11:28  Fugue: Tranquillo e Sempre Legato

14:43  3 Prelude And Fugue In B Minor - Prelude: Prestissimo staccato
16:44  Fugue: Allegro con brio

19:43  4 Prelude And Fugue In A Flat Major - Prelude: Con moto
22:56  Fugue: Con moto, ma espressivo

27:22  5 Prelude And Fugue In F Minor - Prelude: Andante lento
31:14  Fugue: Allegro con fuoco

34:48  6 Prelude And Fugue In B Flat Major - Prelude: Maestoso Moderato
38:05  Fugue: Allegro Con Brio




Mendelssohn  Variations Sérieuses, Op 54




Mendelssohn  Fantasia in F minor, Op 68




Mendelssohn  Prelude (Prestissimo Staccato) from Prelude and Fugue in B major




Mendelssohn  Fugues for piano


in C minor



in D minor



in E major



in G minor



in B minor




Chopin  Impromptus


2 in F major, Op 36



3 in G major, Op 51



4 in C major, Op 66 "Fantaisie-impromptu"




Pierre de Bréville (1861-1949)  Piano Sonata in D major

recorded live in 1997




Granados  Mazurka from Escenas románticas

recorded live in 1992




Florent Schmitt (1870-1958)  Valse-Nocturne 1

recorded live in 2003




Szymanowski  9 Preludes, Op 1

1 Andante ma non troppo in B minor
01:142 Andante con moto in D minor
02:443 Andantino in D major
03:264 Andantino con moto in B minor
04:195 Allegro molto, impetuoso in D minor
05:226 Lento, mesto in A minor
06:527 Moderato in C minor
08:538 Andante ma non troppo in E minor
10:279 Lento, mesto in B minor




Szymanowski  4 Études, Op 4

1 in E minor
03:042 in G major
04:313 in B minor
08:124 in C major




Szymanowski  Variations on a Polish Folk Theme in B minor, Op 10




Szymanowski  3 Masques, Op 34

1 Schéhérazade
08:33 ➢ Tantris le bouffon
13:37 ➢ Sérénade de Don Juan




Antoine Mariotte (1875-1944)  Piano Sonata in F minor

i Fantaisie
08:30ii Nocturne
16:08iii Divertissement

recorded live in 2000




Czesław Marek (1891–1985)  Tryptique, Op 8

1 Praeludium (Veloce e con tenerezza)
03:182 Fuga a 4 (Allegro Commodo)
06:433 Fantasia (Largo)
10:334 Fuga a 4 (Andante)
14:495 Chorale (Moderato)
16:306 Fuga a 4 (Andante)

recorded in 1998




Marek  5 Caprice from Echos De La Jeunesse: Suite De Six Esquisses, Op 9 




Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013)  Piano Sonata

iii Choral and Variations

recorded in 2007




For those of you who enjoy murder mysteries, here is my first with a strong musical polemic as background

Murder in the House of the Muse

which is also available as an audiobook.



And this is the more recently published second mystery in the series:

Murder Follows the Muse



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